Pioneer Industrial

Company History: The PRY was launched in 1998 by the Pioneer RailCorp shortline group to take over operation of eight and half miles of city owned line in Peoria and Peoria Heights, Illinois that had been operated by Peoria & Pekin Union Railway. In 2005, PRY turned the operation over to Central Illinois Railway who infamously suffered a runaway on their first day of operation trying to move a lumber load on a grade with a TrackMobile. Operation of the line was subsequently returned to PRY. Traffic includes steel and lumber. In addition to the map and photo of the PRY, we have more from the Pennsylvania Railroad covering 1956 to 1960.

Successor/Parent History: East Penn Railway (EPRY) opened in the 90s to take over operation of several separate ex-Conrail routes (mostly ex-Pennsylvania or Reading) in Pennsylvania and Delaware. In 2007, East Penn Railway was merged with sister road Penn Eastern Rail Lines to form East Penn Railroad (reporting marks ESPN.) Today, they operate 114 miles of line with 14 locomotives.

The routes are: Bristol industrial area; Ephrata to Reading (this line is locally known as the Lancaster Northern); Manheim industrial area; Northeast Philadelphia to Bustleton; Sylmar to Chadds Ford (formerly the Octoraro Railroad); Pennsburg to Emmaus; Quakertown to Telford; Elsmere Junction; Delaware to Coatesville, Pennsylvania (referred to as the Wilmington & Northern line); York to Stoneybrook.

There were two other lines one of which was turned over to a tourist train operator and the other abandoned in 2010. Regional Rail LLC owns East Penn along with Middletown & New Jersey, and the Tyburn Railroad.

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